A single-lever mechanism

ABSTRACT

A single operating lever control device for selectively operating two trim tabs for a motor boat individually or simultaneously in the same or opposite directions. The operating lever is provided with an inverted semi-spherical bowl movable in a semi-spherical housing. The inner end of the lever is pivoted in a socket bearing at the sphere center point. The bowl edge is provided with bearings for the ends of piston rods of pneumatic cylinders connected with trim tab operating means. The bowl is prevented from rotating but may be pivoted in any direction, thereby permitting free choice of correlation between the piston rod movements and thus the trim tab settings.

United States Patent Sjoo v [54] SINGLE-LEVER MECHANISM [72] Inventor: Bertil Roland Sjoo,

Sweden [73] Assignee: Hesselman Bil-Aero AB, l-lagersten,

Sweden 221 Filed: Dec.2l, 1970 [211 Appl.No.: 100,212

130] Foreign Application Priority Data Dee. 23, 1969 Sweden ..l7893/69 1521 'u.s.c| ..74/471 xv 511 mu. .....'..G05g 9/04 581 Field of Search .'.74/471,471 xv, 471 R;,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1965 Peterson H1964 Eiermann.. 8/1966 Stevens ..74l471 XY Bromma,

[451 Dec. 12, 1972 3,392,596 7/1968 Morris ..74/471 3,394,611 7/1968 Beurrier..... ......74/471 XY 3,541,876 11/1970 Gressard ..74l471 Primary Examiner-Milton Kaufman Assistant Examiner-Ronald C. Capossela Attorney-Young and Thompson [57 ABSTRACT A single operating lever control device for selectively operating two trim tabs for a motor boat individually or simultaneously in the same or opposite directions. The operating lever is provided with an inverted semispherical bowl movable in a semi-spherical housing. The inner end of the lever is pivoted in a socket bearing at the sphere center point. The bowl edge is provided with bearings for the ends of piston rods of I pneumatic cylinders connected with trim tab operating means. The bowl is prevented from rotating but may be pivoted in any direction, thereby permitting free choice of correlation between the piston rod movements and thus the trim tab settings.

1 1 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIENTEuumz m2 3.705.519

IN V EN TOR.

Arr- 45.

A SINGLE-LEVER MECHANISM The present invention relates to an arrangement which, by means of a single operating lever, permits two movable members of the assembly to be moved simultaneously in the same or opposite directions or either one of said members to be moved direction. v

The main object of the invention is to provide a means for controlling the trim flaps of small watercraft in a manner whereby the setting of a flap on either side of the center line of the vessel can be effected arbitrari ly with one single control lever. In connection herewith it shall be possible to set the trim flaps independently of each other or together for simultaneous movement of the flaps in the same or opposite directions. Trim flap settings have hitherto been adjusted by means of a double control unit, one unit for each trim flap. When using the double control unit, however, it is difficult to adjust the setting of the flaps without at the same time changing the total effect of the two trim flaps, especially when the change in setting involves simultaneously decreasing the effective angle of one flap and increasing the effective angle of the other angle.

A control means capable of being operated by only one control lever and which realizes the aforementioned object is mainly characterized by an operating means which is arranged for movement in a housing and which can be pivoted by the control lever in all directions relative to a center pivot point, but which is restrained against rotary movement around said point by means of a guide means located at a distance from the pivot point on a line passing therethrough and between two areas on the control means which are arranged to actuate the ends of the members. The flap control assembly of the present invention also affords the advantage whereby the position of the control lever directly indicates the setting of the trim flaps, thereby in either obviating the necessity of providing special indicators for this purpose.

According to one embodiment of the invention the pivoting movement of the control lever and the displacement movement of the aforementioned members can be adapted with respect to each other by means of movement transmission means.

If the movement transmission means is not required, a simpler embodiment can be obtained by pivotally securing the ends of the members to the control means. In this case, the members should be given a limited pivotal movement in the housing, since the control means also impart a certain rotary movement to the ends of the aforementioned movable members.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the control means is provided with a good bearing assembly at the same time as a seal is obtained between the control means and the retaining means connected with the housing, which is desirable in the case of the controls for small water-going craft so that splashed water is prevented from entering the flap controls.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, the control means can be locked by twisting the control lever. With this embodiment of the invention the frictional force between the control means and the retaining means can be so accurately adjusted that, for example, it is possible when starting the boat to move the control lever to a position corresponding to the maximum setting of the two trim planes, whereafter, as the speed of the vessel and therewith the water pressure against the trim flaps increases, the trim flaps will actuate the control means so that said means takes an intermediate position lying between full and zero setting, independent of the friction to which it is set. By setting the friction, this position which is automatically set, can be caused to correspond to the optimal trim flap position for, for example, normal loads at cruising speed. The friction setting need not be repeated at the next start, since the control means and thereby the trim flaps automatically return to optimal travelling position subsequent to setting manually maximum effective angle of the trim flaps at the actual start. 5

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the control means is in the form of a semi-spherical bowl-shaped structure in which is arranged a guide structure in the form of a pin which is attached to the annular edge of the bowl-shaped structure and directed radially towards the center and which engages in a slot arranged in a bifurcated element secured to the housing and arcuately protruding in along the inside of the bowl-shaped-structure. This embodiment of the guide structure prevents the control means from rotating when the two members are to be made to move simultaneously in opposite directions.

According to an additional embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned pivot points are located on the annular edge surface of the bowl-shaped structure at approximately 45 in either direction from the point at which the annular edge surface of the bowl-shaped structure intersects the extension of a line extending between a bearing seating and the pin of the guide structure. Thus, by means of this arrangement the aforementioned movable members are given a specific movementif the control lever is moved along the center line between the pivot points and are moved to the same extent, although in an opposite direction, when the control lever is moved at right angles to said line. Consequently, by deviating from the angle of 45 it is possible to obtain different responses of the movable members for the same lever movements in different directions. The arrangement may also be constructed asymmetrically, when found to be advantageous.

According to another embodiment of the invention in which the control means is semi-spherical in shape, the bearing seating, the pin of the guide structure and the pivot points are all located in a common plane.

Finally, in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention large friction surfaces are obtained between the control means and the retaining means by reason of the fact that the retainer means comprises a semi-spherical casing which is detachably secured to the housing and the top of which is cut away to permit movement of the control lever. Thus, with this arrangement it is possible accurately to set the desired degree of friction and, moreover, a good seal is obtained.

An embodiment of the present invention in the form of a single-lever control means for trim flaps of small watercraft will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away and partially exploded view in perspective of the flap control means of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the flap control means illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a variation of the flap control means illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The flap control means illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is intended for pneumatically adjusting the setting of two trim flaps mounted on each side .of the center line of the stern of a motor boat. The flap control means'comprises a plate 1 having an attachment flange 3 and screw holes 5, by means of which plate the control means can be mounted, for example, onto the instrument panel of the boat. The plate 1 has arranged therein a large circular opening 7 and a projection 9 on the plate 1 is arranged to extend radially from the edge of the opening 7 in towards its center. A spindle 11 is screwed into the end of the radial projection 9 in the center of the opening 7 and at right angles to the plane of the plate 1. The head of the spindle 11 is provided with a bearing seating 13 for the inner end 15 of a rodlike control lever 17. The control lever 17 carries an operating means 19 in the form of a semi-spherical bowl-shaped structure by means of a treaded portion 21 on the control lever 17 which is screwed through a central, radially extending shoulder 23 on the bowlshaped structure 19. The spherical portion of the bowlshaped structure 19 is journalled in the spherical portion of a casing 25, which is screwed to the plate 1. The casing 25 thus forms a retaining means, which retains the bowl-shaped structure 19 while permitting said structure to swivel in all directions around the bearing seating 13, the top of the casing 25 being cut away to form a circular opening 27, through which the control lever 17 protrudes. When the control lever 17 is screwed in, the bowl-shaped structure 19 is urged against the inside of the casing 25 so as to increase the friction therebetween, thereby permitting the bowlshaped structure 19 to be locked in a desired position relative to the attachment plate 1. The means by which the bowl-shaped structure is journalled in the casing 25 is also water-tight, so that splashed water is unable to penetrate the interior of the casing.

Screwed beneath the plate 1 is a stirrup member 29, in the lower portion of which are mounted for restricted pivotal movement the lower connecting pipes 31, 33 of two pneumatic cylinders 35, 37, the connecting pipes each protruding through its respective rubber bushing 39, 41 in openings in the stirrup member 29. The connecting pipes are prevented from being withdrawn from the stirrup member by means of locking plates 43, 45. The piston rods 47, 49 from the cylinders 35 37 extend up through the opening 7 in the plate 1 and are provided at the ends thereof with balllike bearing members 51, 53. The balls 51, 53 are journalled in ball seatings 55, 57 formed in the under edge surface of the bowl-shaped structure 19. The balls are retained in the seatings by means of retaining plates 59, 61, which are screwed to the seatings 55, 57. In the illustrated embodiment, the ball seatings 55, 57 are arranged so that the angle between the lines drawn from the bearing seating 13 of the bowl-shaped structure 19 to the ball seatings 55 and 57, respectively, is approximately 90.

Located on the other side of the bowl-shaped structure 19 is a radially, inwardly extending pin 63 which is secured substantially at the point where a diameter opposite the ball seatings 55 and 57 intersects the annular edge surface of the bowl-shaped structure 19. The pin 63 engages in a slot 65 in an arcuate, preferably bifurcated member 67, which extends up along the inside of the bowl-shaped structure 19. The bifurcated member 67 is secured to the projection 9 on the plate 1 by means of a screw 69 and a lock-nut 71 on the spindle 11. The lock-nut 71 permits the height of the bearing seating 13 to be adjusted.

FIG. 2 illustrates with full lines the flap control means when set to the position in which the piston rods 47, 49 of the two cylinders 35, 37 are withdrawn into the cylinder to the maximum extent. If the control lever 17 is rotated in the plane of the drawing to the position shown with chain lines, the two piston rods are simultaneously withdrawn form the cylinder to their maximum extension. If the control lever is moved at right angles to the plane of the drawing the bowl-shaped structure 19 will pivot around the bearing seating 13 and the pin 63 in the slot 64 will prevent the bowlshaped structure 19 from rotating and hence one piston rod will be drawn up to an extent equal to the amount by which the other piston rod is simultaneously pushed down. If the control lever is moved in the plane which passes through the bearing seating 13 of the bowlshaped structure 19 and one of the bearing seatings 55, 57, only the piston rod associated with the bearing seating in question will be activated, while the other piston rod remains in an unchanged position. Movement of the control lever 17 in other directions causes corresponding combined movements of the two piston rods. All conceivable combinations of movement of the two piston rods can thus be effected by means of one single control lever 17.

The control means illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 constitutes only one embodiment of the invention and many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified variation of the flap control means illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, seen from the upper side of the plate 1 with the casing 25, the operating bowl-shaped structure 19, the control lever 17 and the bifurcated elements 67 removed. In the embodiment of FIG. 3 the ends of the pistons (not shown) in the pneumatic cylinders are pivotally secured to the under side of a V-shaped intermediate element 73, which is pivotally mounted on a pin 75 which projects radially inwardly from the periphery of the opening 7 along the diameter in between the pivot point 77, 79 of the piston ends. The under edge surface of the bowl-shaped structure 19, not shown in FIG. 3, will lie at points along the chain line 81 against the limbs of the angle element, closer to the bearing seating 13 of the bowl-shaped structure than the pivot-point 77, 79, whereby movement of the control lever transmitted to the piston rods is amplified.

Instead of using a semi-spherical casing as a means for retaining the bowl-shaped structure 19, a plane wall having a circular opening and an O-ring seal can be used, for example. Neither is the invention restricted to the use of pneumatic cylinders, since hydraulic cylinders, bellows or purely mechanical means, for example Bowden cables can also be used. The guide pin 63 can be alternatively fixedly arranged and a bifurcated elementor a groove may be arranged on the bowl-shaped structure. The guide structure can also be constructed in another way and may alternatively be located on the side diametrically opposed to the side illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A cardanic or gimble suspension may be used instead of the central bearing seatingand a radial pin can be arranged to carry the operating bowl-shaped structure-Moreover, the bowl-shaped structure need not necessarilybe semi-spherical in shape, as illustrated but may have some other geometrical configuration. The semi-spherical bowl-shaped structure and the central bearing seating for a control lever capable of being screwed into the control means have been found of particular advantage'in practice, however.

What I claim is:' i

1. An assembly for selectively imparting linear movement to .two movable members (47, 49) individually or simultaneously in the same or opposite directions, comprising a part-spherical member (19) a member (17) carried by and extending radially inwardly from said part-spherical member (19) a central pivot (13) disposed at the center of curvature of said part-spherical member and receiving the inner end of said radially extending member '(17) for universal pivotal movement of said radially extending member with said partspherical member, a casing (25) in which said partspherical member (19) is universally movable, and means (57, 59 or 73, 70) connecting said part-spherical member with said two movable members (47, 49).

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, said casing (25) being part-spherical and of the same curvature as said part-spherical member (19), said part-spherical member being slidably disposed on the inside of said casing (25).

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, the ends (51, 53) of said movablemembers (47, 49) being pivotally secured to said part-spherical member (19), and means (39, 41) mounting said movable members (47, 49) for limited pivotal movement relative to said casing 25).

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, and an inter mediate member (73) disposed between said partspherical member (19) and said movable members (47,

49), said intermediate member (73) being pivotally mounted at a fixed point located on an imaginary line that passes through said central pivot (13) and that is equidistant from said two movable members (47, 49).

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, and means (63, 67) preventing rotation of said part-spherical member (19) about said radially extending member (17).

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5, said means preventing rotation of said part-spherical member (19) comprising a member (63) carried by said part-spherical member (19) and riding in a slot (65) in a member (67 which is fast with said casing (25).

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, said slotted member (67 being part-circular and having a center of curvature that coincides with the center of curvature of said part-spherical member (19).

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, said partspherical member (19) being connected with said two movable members (47, 49) at locations (57, 59) that are located approximately 45 in opposite directions from the line of intersection that passes through said central pivot (13) and said member (63) that rides in said slot (65).

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, said central ivot (l3) and said member (63) that rides in said slot F65) and the connecting means (57, 59) between said 

1. An assembly for selectively imparting linear movement to two movable members (47, 49) individually or simultaneously in the same or opposite directions, comprising a part-spherical member (19) a member (17) carried by and extending radially inwardly from said part-spherical member (19) a central pivot (13) disposed at the center of curvature of said part-spherical member and receiving the inner end of said radially extending member (17) for universal pivotal movement of said radially extending memBer with said part-spherical member, a casing (25) in which said part-spherical member (19) is universally movable, and means (57, 59 or 73, 70) connecting said part-spherical member with said two movable members (47, 49).
 2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, said casing (25) being part-spherical and of the same curvature as said part-spherical member (19), said part-spherical member being slidably disposed on the inside of said casing (25).
 3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, the ends (51, 53) of said movable members (47, 49) being pivotally secured to said part-spherical member (19), and means (39, 41) mounting said movable members (47, 49) for limited pivotal movement relative to said casing (25).
 4. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, and an intermediate member (73) disposed between said part-spherical member (19) and said movable members (47, 49), said intermediate member (73) being pivotally mounted at a fixed point (75) located on an imaginary line that passes through said central pivot (13) and that is equidistant from said two movable members (47, 49).
 5. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, and means (63, 67) preventing rotation of said part-spherical member (19) about said radially extending member (17).
 6. An assembly as claimed in claim 5, said means preventing rotation of said part-spherical member (19) comprising a member (63) carried by said part-spherical member (19) and riding in a slot (65) in a member (67) which is fast with said casing (25).
 7. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, said slotted member (67) being part-circular and having a center of curvature that coincides with the center of curvature of said part-spherical member (19).
 8. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, said part-spherical member (19) being connected with said two movable members (47, 49) at locations (57, 59) that are located approximately 45* in opposite directions from the line of intersection that passes through said central pivot (13) and said member (63) that rides in said slot (65).
 9. An assembly as claimed in claim 6, said central pivot (13) and said member (63) that rides in said slot (65) and the connecting means (57, 59) between said part-spherical member (19) and said two movable members (47, 49) being disposed in a common plane.
 10. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, said radially extending member (17) extending radially outwardly of said part-spherical member (19) for manual actuation of said assembly.
 11. An assembly as claimed in claim 10, said radially extending member (17) being screw-threadedly received in said part-spherical member (19) to adjust the frictional engagement between said part-spherical member and said casing (25). 